Weapon-Eating Bastard [EN]: Chapter 186

Weapon-Eating Bastard – Episode 186

I pressed an ice pack to the back of my neck.

My muscles were throbbing as I worked to dissolve the aura fragments that had dug into my mana circuit.

“Ugh…”

My neck felt like it had been in a car accident, so I stretched it this way and that, letting out a deep sigh.

On my way back after sparring with my father, I was ambushed.

I had a bad feeling about it, and sure enough, I got hit head-on.

And the culprit was…

“You impudent brat! How can you, as a disciple, neglect your teacher like this? Ha! This is why they say raising sons is useless!”

“…Aunt. Firstly, I’m not your son, but your nephew. Secondly, what did you raise? The nanny raised me. Thirdly, what’s with the talk about a teacher and then suddenly about sons?”

…It was none other than my aunt.

She had practically kidnapped me and dragged me to her lab.

‘I must have been crazy to be happy to see her. I should have just countered right away.’

I gritted my teeth.

I had relaxed my guard, but I didn’t expect her to use a full-force body slam.

As a result, her crown landed squarely on my solar plexus.

I immediately deployed aura to prevent internal injuries, but since I had taken a direct hit from an aura skill, the impact was considerable.

“Hmph! Worrying about such trivial things! You’ve really become an old fogey, haven’t you? Why do people in our family become old fogeys as soon as they get older?”

My head spun from my aunt’s familiar way of speaking, but I tried my best to hold it in.

Well, this is how my aunt is. It would be stranger if she suddenly matured and became normal.

“Hehe! Still, it’s been a while. I’m so glad to see you, baby! Come on! Come to your aunt’s open arms!”

Even though she said to come, my aunt jumped and hugged me.

I chuckled and lowered my waist.

After the chief manager, my aunt was one of the few people in the family with whom I could completely relax.

I briefly hugged my aunt and stepped back.

“Our baby has grown up so much!”

“I’m an adult now.”

“True! You were unusually big even when you were a little kid!”

My aunt gave me her signature beaming smile and patted my head.

Unlike me, who had grown up, my aunt now had a few wrinkles. Still, thanks to her powerful mana, she looked much younger than her actual age.

“Have you been well?”

“Well? What do you mean?”

“Have the elders been bothering you, or picking on you…”

“Nope!”

I nodded.

Whether my father had blocked them or my eldest brother had helped, it seemed like nothing had happened to my aunt.

‘I heard she’s been achieving results in quite unique ways. Well, the elders probably wouldn’t bother someone who isn’t interested in politics like my aunt.’

After that, we exchanged stories about what had happened in the meantime.

So much had happened during my time in the Murim Alliance [a martial arts alliance] that there wasn’t enough time to tell it all.

Anyway.

“By the way, Aunt.”

“Yeah? What is it?”

“Why did you body slam me instead of just saying hello? I almost died.”

“But you didn’t die, did you?”

“…That’s attempted murder.”

“Don’t worry. You reacted right away, stop exaggerating. When you were a little tyke, you were a training parrot who kept saying ‘Training! Training!’ in a lisping voice that hadn’t even gone through puberty. Getting scared now that you’re older? Tsk tsk! Scaredy-cat!”

…Hold it in.

She’s still my aunt.

She’s my teacher and family.

I have to hold it in.

‘By the way, training parrot? Scaredy-cat? Heh…’

I decided to just accept it with a resigned expression.

“And wouldn’t it be fastest to spar to see how far you’ve come?”

“So? How was it?”

“It’s just a bit beyond my imagination. Are you even human? How can you be that good at that age?”

I’m actually a regressor and I can read the memories of weapons.

Since I couldn’t say that, I just gave an awkward smile.

“If you’re done checking, I’ll get going. I think the nanny will be waiting.”

“What are you talking about? We’re just getting started. And I already told her, so don’t worry. The butler went before me, and I went right after! She’s not waiting! So it’s okay.”

Sometimes my aunt’s words need interpretation.

I narrowed my eyes slightly and looked at my aunt before organizing my thoughts.

“So, when I was called to my father, Chief Butler Choi went to tell the nanny, and now that I’m here, you also went to tell the nanny? So the nanny won’t be waiting for me?”

“Yeah! That’s right! Why are you repeating the same thing? So let’s check your mana skill for a bit!”

Really… my aunt is my aunt.

‘The elders, my father, my aunt… today is really exhausting.’

I chuckled in vain, feeling tired.

“Huh? Are you sick, baby? Are you okay? Should I buy you some candy?”

“Puhaha.”

I couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

Somehow, having this kind of conversation with my aunt made me feel like I had really come home.

* * *

As I said before, the reason my aunt kidnapped me wasn’t anything special.

Of course, it was to assess my mana skill achievements.

“You’ve completed the 4th tier. Mana capacity, aura conversion speed, control, even the speed of transforming properties… perfect.”

I plucked off the electrodes attached to my body and walked out of the lab.

My aunt asked.

“Did you receive my secret techniques well?”

“Yes, Aunt. I was really grateful back then. Thanks to you, I overcame several crises.”

It wasn’t just empty words.

Just when my growth seemed to stagnate, my aunt showed me the way.

Of course, that way wasn’t a detailed map, but simply a signpost, and it was entirely up to me to figure out how to walk it, but having a signpost was a great help in traversing a path that no one had ever walked before.

“Still, I didn’t expect you to master everything written there. And even create your own techniques.”

“I was lucky.”

“Um um! No! It’s talent! Talent! Okay, I admit effort too!”

I don’t know where she learns those words that even I don’t use often.

“4th tier mana skill is a high-level aura skill, so I thought it would be difficult to learn. But to have mastered it already. It’s really unbelievable.”

Mache, Gravity Field, Waveform, and various other Strong Qi Arts [powerful martial techniques].

As my aunt said, the aura skills I learned after reaching the 4th tier were incomparably more complex than the lightning or cold wind I used to use.

It wasn’t just about increasing cutting power or destructive power, but taking it a step further and exerting special power through aura, that’s what the 4th tier is about.

Mache is a technique that extremely activates my body, Gravity Field can increase pressure at a desired point, and Waveform divides the opponent’s power and scatters it into the air.

If I had to put it simply, it’s like learning the principles and then applying them.

The range of application is incredibly wide and complex, and as is usually the case, applying is more difficult than learning the principles.

“The techniques I wrote down last… um, did you also learn Mist and Fragmentation?”

“Yes, those two were particularly difficult, but I completed them all anyway. I could even use Transformation Art depending on the situation.”

“You’re really amazing.”

Mist, an aura skill that can be said to be an evolution of Mirage.

If Mirage was about ‘hiding,’ Mist is about the realm of ‘assimilation.’

It not only assimilates all traces, including mana, with the surroundings, but can also be applied to everything my aura touches, not just my body.

Strong Qi Art Fragmentation was an even more special technique, so it was difficult to learn.

A technique that decomposes the power that touches my aura.

“Okay.”

My aunt smiled and nodded.

“There’s nothing left to teach you. Go down the mountain. Disciple.”

“…You’re adopting a strange concept again.”

“It’s not a concept? It’s real? Of course, it’s something I really wanted to say… but it’s real! Now go down the mountain! Disciple!”

I blinked.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, actually, I don’t know anything from the 5th tier onwards.”

It was a light tone, but she didn’t seem to be joking.

As always, my aunt’s eyes were serious when she talked about mana skills.

“You know too. Until now, I could show you the way. There are formulas, and there are theories and principles.”

I finally understood what my aunt was trying to say.

“From now on, it’s your own domain. There’s nothing I can teach you.”

“…”

My own domain.

The realm that I felt during my time in the Murim Alliance, and that my father also told me about.

Some called it enlightenment, and others called it awakening.

Even if you look through history, the number of martial artists who have reached this level is not very large.

If you have mastered Sword Heart, does that make you a 2nd class warrior or a 1st class warrior?

No. It’s just that if you can catch a 3rd class monster, you’re a 2nd class warrior, and if you can catch a 2nd class monster, you’re a 1st class warrior.

Ranks are just divided for convenience, they are neither a measure of martial power nor a distinction of realms.

“Do you understand what I mean?”

“Yes, I understand.”

Until now, my aunt led me or walked with me.

From now on, I will walk alone.

My aunt said with a gentle smile.

“You’ll be able to do it. And I don’t think it will take long.”

“Thank you, Aunt.”

“I’m sorry I don’t have anything more to teach you. But you know I’ll always help you, right? Baby? No, are you not a baby anymore? Hehe.”

I gave a light smile.

My aunt was different from the elders who tried to use me or suppress me.

My aunt is anxious about not being able to give me anything.

As expected, my aunt is…

“Oh, of course, if I become scarily stronger than you first, I’ll teach you again. Can’t I lead one incompetent disciple? Trust this aunt!”

…Hold it in.

I have to hold it in.

* * *

It was a few more hours before I was released from my aunt.

Although she said she had nothing to teach me, my aunt optimized my mana skills and aura skills in general.

She filled in the gaps in areas that I, who was actually using them, couldn’t know, or areas where efficiency was low.

Of course, that wasn’t the end of it, my aunt gave me a few more formulas for aura skills that she had only created in theory.

“This… the difficulty of learning it will be enormous.”

It’s almost as difficult as Black Lotus. No, it might be even harder than that.

It was a technique that went beyond the limits of aura skills that people generally know.

“How is it? It looks like it will be terrifying if you learn it, right?”

I smiled and nodded.

“I’m curious about the expressions of the enemies after I use it.”

I was now able to quickly learn even difficult techniques with just a little concentration.

Since it was already late, there was one more thing I talked about.

Since my aunt is fanatically interested in ancient history, I shared some things that needed to be found out with her.

Ancient monsters.

The beings in each country’s history.

Old stories of the family.

I couldn’t share all the stories I heard from my father, but I shared as much as I needed.

Because there weren’t many people who were completely on my side like my aunt.

“…Um, okay. I’ll look for similar relics or materials.”

“Then I’ll be going now.”

It was only in the middle of the night that I was able to be released from my aunt.

Fortunately, the nanny wasn’t waiting outside like before.

The lights were on inside, and the nanny, who looked a little older than the last time I saw her, was sitting there.

“Young Master!”

“I’m back, Nanny.”

The moment I met the nanny’s tearful eyes, I finally realized that the long, or short, time in the Murim Alliance was over.

I had really come home now.

* * *

After returning to the main family, I decided to take a short break.

I didn’t take any special actions other than mana skill research with my aunt, personal training, some things to take care of, and preparations for future plans.

Several days passed like that.

I met some of my classmates from the Cadet Corps individually, but it seemed that they were emerging as the aces of the main family’s martial squad, so most of them were out on missions.

It would be around the time when this quarter ends and the break period comes that we would be able to get together properly.

As a result, I naturally spent a little more time with the nanny.

The nanny prepared meals with great care every time, as if to make up for not being able to prepare my meals in the meantime.

“Hehe. Nanny… you don’t have to do this much.”

“It’s okay, Young Master. You can leave it if there’s too much.”

“Y-yeah…”

I couldn’t help but chuckle as I looked down at the dishes on the table.

Starting with braised short ribs, stir-fried pork, and steak, which would normally be the main menu of a table.

There were also braised fish, various side dishes of seasoned vegetables, two kinds of stew, and three kinds of soup.

The problem is that this is not the dinner table, but the breakfast table.

Still, it was food made by the nanny, so I couldn’t refuse. I just had to eat it deliciously as it was served.

“Nanny, eat some too.”

“How can I sit at the same table as you, Young Master?”

“What’s with that in this day and age? Sit down quickly.”

The nanny reluctantly ate with me.

I had many conversations with the nanny while eating together.

“Nanny, I think I’ll be getting busy soon.”

The nanny quietly nodded at my words.

“Yes, I thought so. I knew you were preparing something, Young Master. I’m always on your side. You know that, right?”

I smiled at the nanny’s words.

‘First of all, what I have to do first is…’

I turned my gaze out the window.

I was a little excited.

How will they react?

* * *

After Lee Cheol returned, the elders often held meetings.

The bomb that Lee Cheol threw was snowballing day by day, greatly affecting each elder.

“Recently, there has been a problem with cooperation with the Gyoguk [religious organization], shouldn’t this be solved by cooperating with Lee Cheol? The Saheonwon [inspectorate] needs the Gyoguk’s data provision.”

“The same goes for the research institute. It’s the tomb of the 2nd Great Ancestor. How great is its research value? Of course, I don’t like that bastard, but first of all, the academy should formally…”

“Right now, only those tea-sipping foreigners are getting a share and researching the temple, does that make sense! The main family can’t fall behind…”

On the outside, they pretend to hate Lee Cheol, but in reality, there were many elders who couldn’t just hate him.

No matter how much they think about politics, they are people who think about their own interests.

The things that Lee Cheol had been doing were so closely related to various businesses under the Wonronwon [Elders Council] that their demands only grew larger.

On the other hand, there were also elders who were still stuck in outdated status consciousness.

“No matter what, he’s a bastard. Besides, he spouted those absurdities, and you’re just going to leave it alone?”

“As an elder, I can’t understand leaving that impudent guy’s atrocities alone! What is the head of the Jibbeobwon [Law Enforcement Agency] thinking…”

It was a complete mess every time they had a meeting.

Watching the elders fight over their own interests, Elder Council Head Lee Cheol-joong felt a headache coming on.

‘How did it come to this?’

Lee Cheol-joong was lost in thought for a moment.

The sight of the elders fighting over their own interests felt very unfamiliar.

No, to be honest, it felt pathetic.

‘Did I make it like this? Really?’

Lee Cheol-joong remembered going to see the head of the family, Lee Tae-shin, at his call not long ago.

Since it was a private meeting, Lee Tae-shin was polite to Lee Cheol-joong.

Because Lee Cheol-joong was higher than Lee Tae-shin in terms of lineage.

However, the content of the conversation could not be said to be polite.

-I will be leaving the family soon.

-Uncle, you should be careful. In your current state with your teeth pulled out, you will only be eaten by the youngest who has gained momentum.

Why did I feel a chill back then?

Why is the Elder Council that I led in this state?

‘Lee Goon-sung. Should I respond to that child’s proposal…’

Lee Cheol-joong narrowed his eyes hidden behind the wrinkles and fell into thought.

It was at that moment that he was continuing his thoughts.

Bang!

An elder hurriedly came in.

Lee Cheol-joong looked at him with a puzzled expression.

“What’s going on?”

“The youngest bastard… a message… no, a notice…”

“Speak calmly. What did he say?”

The elder hesitated, then slowly opened his mouth.

“The youngest bastard sent a message. He said he’s coming to get what he deserves, so be aware.”

“What he deserves?”

Lee Cheol-joong’s eyes flashed at those words.

Haven’t I heard those words from Lee Cheol a few years ago?

“Now, is that guy going to enter the Bigo [a restricted area or competition]?”

Silence fell in the conference room.

Lee Cheol, who had thrown a shock to the Elder Council and remained silent for a while, finally… began to move.